Quote:
Originally Posted by KeppaNil
Isn't the reason marijuana is illegal to begin with because of hemp and the problem it poses to the lumber industry?
I'm not sure because family guy taught me this..
|
Not exactly....
Marijuana prohibition went into place for a number of reasons, and was backed by a number of groups.
At the end of Alcohol Prohibition you had governmental agencies that had become rather powerful, and for some, very lucrative. These agencies and groups only purpose, and reason for founding, was to enforce Alcohol Prohibition. When the Prohibition was repealed, these groups suddenly found themselves without reason to exist, and this was a threat to the individuals in these groups.
Needing justification to keep existing, these agencies went after the next likely, and easiest target, Marijuana. Enacting Prohibition on Marijuana was fairly easy, as racism was extremely strong and Marijuana was an "ethnic" drug. Being an "ethnic" drug, it was very easy for the agencies, needing justification to exist, to say that if they didn't act, these various groups would take over.
Other groups that were very powerful at the time were those in the cotton industry, yes, the fabric of our lives. Cannabis Sativa is a fairly strong threat to cotton, and the production of it. Unlike cotton, Cannabis Sativa grows in almost any condition, extremely rapidly, and doesn't require pesticides and soil fortification. More or less, it is extremely easy to grow in mass, and not very labor intensive, unlike cotton.
So what you have is a convergence of racism, political gain, financial gain, and industry working against one target. Without any surprise, Marijuana was banned.
